getting organized in a new house (PICS) (floor, opener, furnace)
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Hi, all. I recently moved to a new house that is much bigger than my last one -- including a 3-car garage instead of a 1-car, and a large basement where I had no basement before (one of the few houses in New Hampshire without a basement!). Soooooooooo ... it's time to get organized, but I am feeling overwhelmed!! I also feel like I have been running in circles -- e.g., I bring stuff in from the garage to the 2nd floor because I THINK I will put that stuff in one of the upstairs closets ... then I decide maybe it should go in the basement ... then I think maybe the family room closet. Aaaaaggghh!!
I was inspired by TexasFireWheel (from page 2 of this thread: http://www.city-data.com/forum/real-...t-makes-2.html ) to buy some chrome shelving units for one of my first priorities -- organizing dozens of DVD/CD boxes that I had custom-made a few years ago. (My old house had shelving for them, my new house didn't!) That's what's in the first attached photo. Yeah, I know, the boxes are still not totally organized -- they ALL should be painted with those label holders on the front -- but at least many of them are on shelving now! (I have a lot more in the garage -- I am still s-l-o-w-l-y unpacking until I finish summer teaching and actually have a few more spare minutes!)
I am loving those shelves, and will likely get more for the basement and garage, but in the past I have bought a bunch of "organizing" items before figuring out exactly what I wanted to store and where, and I don't want to make that mistake again! So, fellow C-D'ers, some questions for you:
- Do you have a closet that you use as a pantry? If so, where is it located, and what kind of organizing units do you have in it? My last house's kitchen had a wonderful pantry with pull-out shelves AND built-in shelves/drawers in the hall which I also used as a pantry, but until I remodel my current kitchen (which is at least 2-3 years away), I am stuck with a not-very-efficient kitchen. I have a lot of "overflow" items of things I use a lot and buy in bulk from amazon (e.g., muffin mixes, soups, etc.) -- I could conceivably put these in the basement on more chrome shelves, but I worry about mice down there (ugh).
- If you have a basement AND a garage and you have some stuff stored in both, how did you decide what to store where?
- If you have an outdoor storage shed, what do you store out there? I am moving an 8x16 shed from my old house to the new one -- my new house has a huge back yard so it will fit fine (actually much better than it did at the old house). But I expect it will be mostly inaccessible in the winter (I am not likely to shovel a path to it!) so I can really only use that one for storage of stuff I know I want to keep but don't need very often (or at all in the winter).
- A walk-in hall closet upstairs (across from 2 bedrooms) has 20 cubbies, each of which is ~12.5" wide by ~12.5" high by ~24" deep (apparently sized for banker's boxes). (See the second photo!) I don't need them for file storage since most of my files are now digital. I am thinking of using them as my pantry, using labeled boxes in the cubbies. It's pretty far from the kitchen, but maybe that doesn't matter, since only "overflow" stuff would be up there? What would YOU use cubbies like this for? (There is hanging space for clothes on the other 2 interior walls of this closet, but I may put up shelving instead as I have more than enough clothes closet space.)
I think that's it for now. ANY help would be appreciated before I get much further into my organizing projects!! Thanks in advance!!
Getting organized quickly is a big deal. When I moved to my house a couple years ago, I didnt get organized right away and let it go. Of course, as time went on, I put things off and it got worse, and worse and worse.
Now I also have to store things for work here and that has compounded the problem and its just a mess. Dont get me wrong, it doesnt look like a hoarders house or anything close, but im not organized and it sucks.
The longer you wait, the more of a real pain its going to be when you do finally try to get organized.
Have a shed, & extra deep 2 car detached with a big upstairs above the garage.
While I don't really have a basement, underneath my second level sunporch & my second level huge deck are also ample extra storage for the "outside" stuffs.
I have some chrome shelvings & will be getting more for the garage.
Have built-in pantry cabinets (more slide out trays) both upstairs in the kitchen & another in my nice-size laundry room / mini-kitchenette.
Tons of built-in sliding trays, spice organizers, tray organizers, slide-out trash cans for organizing in my kitchen cabinets... so not complaining there.
Also tons of cabinets & drawer (love drawers) space plus a tall cabinet w/ slide-out hamper in my baths.
Also tons of closets in this house... much more than our old place.
I organized the home the minute I moved in... and practically thought-out all the aspects as where everything went (stay in the house or go into other space).
Nice to have "space"... especially a nice size "land" itself to work with.
Put everything you can on the first floor or garage. Steps get old quick.
As far as the basement goes make sure there isn't any water issues, if you haven't had a really good hard rain for a few days I'd be careful about putting a lot of stuff down there unless it's obvioau there is no issues like it's completely finished.
No. Wish I did! I use a couple of upper cupboards for food items.
Quote:
Originally Posted by karen_in_nh_2012
- If you have a basement AND a garage and you have some stuff stored in both, how did you decide what to store where?
I do not have either one.
Quote:
Originally Posted by karen_in_nh_2012
- If you have an outdoor storage shed, what do you store out there? I am moving an 8x16 shed from my old house to the new one -- my new house has a huge back yard so it will fit fine (actually much better than it did at the old house). But I expect it will be mostly inaccessible in the winter (I am not likely to shovel a path to it!) so I can really only use that one for storage of stuff I know I want to keep but don't need very often (or at all in the winter).
No storage shed either. I am beginning to feel like the poor little match girl here. (Just kidding!)
Quote:
Originally Posted by karen_in_nh_2012
- A walk-in hall closet upstairs (across from 2 bedrooms) has 20 cubbies, each of which is ~12.5" wide by ~12.5" high by ~24" deep (apparently sized for banker's boxes). (See the second photo!) I don't need them for file storage since most of my files are now digital. I am thinking of using them as my pantry, using labeled boxes in the cubbies. It's pretty far from the kitchen, but maybe that doesn't matter, since only "overflow" stuff would be up there? What would YOU use cubbies like this for?
Shoes?
Do you have room in or near your kitchen for a non-built-in pantry cabinet in a style to your liking? I have one of these in my breakfast nook and it helps with overflow: http://www.amazon.com/Altra-9448096-...cm_cr-mr-title
No, I have a pantry in the kitchen that I fitted with custom shelving.
Quote:
Originally Posted by karen_in_nh_2012
- If you have a basement AND a garage and you have some stuff stored in both, how did you decide what to store where?
I keep zero household items in the garage. Just tools, paint, wood, landscaping things, outdoor items, lawn mower, snow blower, etc.... you know, garage things! LOL!
Quote:
Originally Posted by karen_in_nh_2012
- If you have an outdoor storage shed, what do you store out there?
No shed.
It is MY opinion (not passing judgment on those who do otherwise) that IF I have so much stuff that I feel I need a shed, I need to purge the stuff instead.
I can be an organized freak when it comes to my home. One of the things I love about my house is it has tons of storage but most importantly, the storage makes sense. I have a pantry in the kitchen that all the food goes into. I keep my kitchen cabinets for dishes, cookware and gadgets. To organize and make good use of the space I added cookware lid holders on the inside of my cabinet doors.
I never found a spice rack that worked for me so I made my own from stuff IKEA sells. Spices take up so much room in a cabinet and I detest things on my counters. I put a two system rack on the wall and bought clear jars. I still have room to add 14 more so I will never outgrow the rack.
We will be building a shed this summer. We have a riding lawnmower that takes up too much space in garage. So the mower and other garden stuff will go in the shed. The garage will have need to grab items such as tools but mainly I want the ability to put both cars in the garage anytime I want.
Basement storage is basically seasonal items. Christmas decor and things we don't use often but things I don't want to purge.
I take spring cleaning pretty seriously. I purge things once or twice a year. My tax guy laughs at me because every tax season I always have tons of slips from goodwill. I rarely have garage sales due to the hassle.
Last edited by fallingwater; 03-18-2013 at 01:09 AM..
Getting organized quickly is a big deal. When I moved to my house a couple years ago, I didnt get organized right away and let it go. Of course, as time went on, I put things off and it got worse, and worse and worse.
Now I also have to store things for work here and that has compounded the problem and its just a mess. Dont get me wrong, it doesnt look like a hoarders house or anything close, but im not organized and it sucks.
The longer you wait, the more of a real pain its going to be when you do finally try to get organized.
Yes, this is what I'm afraid of! I've "officially" been in the new house for a month now, but I've been working about 60 hours a week (although I can do a LOT of work at home), so I haven't had a whole lot of time to unpack and get organized. I set up my home office because I HAD to for work, but the other rooms aren't really set up at all. I've even been sleeping in the guest room -- the queen-size box spring for the master bedroom couldn't fit up the stairs so I had to wait for a 2-piece, but I haven't had time to set it up yet! And I find myself buying things that I KNOW I have (e.g., a bottle opener, extra glasses) because I can't find them in all the mess of boxes. It's driving me batty. One solution would just be to empty out all the boxes in the garage (dozens and dozens of them) and put the stuff ANYWHERE just to get it out of boxes, but I suspect that would make me more frustrated in the long run.
Quote:
Originally Posted by hueyeats
New house here too.
Have a shed, & extra deep 2 car detached with a big upstairs above the garage.
While I don't really have a basement, underneath my second level sunporch & my second level huge deck are also ample extra storage for the "outside" stuffs.
I have some chrome shelvings & will be getting more for the garage.
Have built-in pantry cabinets (more slide out trays) both upstairs in the kitchen & another in my nice-size laundry room / mini-kitchenette.
Tons of built-in sliding trays, spice organizers, tray organizers, slide-out trash cans for organizing in my kitchen cabinets... so not complaining there.
Also tons of cabinets & drawer (love drawers) space plus a tall cabinet w/ slide-out hamper in my baths.
Also tons of closets in this house... much more than our old place.
I organized the home the minute I moved in... and practically thought-out all the aspects as where everything went (stay in the house or go into other space).
Nice to have "space"... especially a nice size "land" itself to work with.
<sigh> You are making me miss the kitchen at my old house, which I had remodeled just 3 years ago!! I feel like I am starting over with the kitchen at this house. It may be original to the house (1960) and it has NO "conveniences" like slide-out shelves, corner units so you can use every inch of space, lazy susans, recycling bins, etc. I added all those things at the old house when I remodeled, so it's hard not having them any more!
And drawers!! You are so right!! I added a lot of those at the old house ... this new house has a total of FIVE drawers in the whole thing! I have set up several free-standing wood cabinets on one wall, but they just have shelves, no drawers, and are only 12" deep so don't hold a whole lot. But at least they get stuff off my counters.
Quote:
Originally Posted by thecoalman
Put everything you can on the first floor or garage. Steps get old quick..
Good advice, although I am actually enjoying the stairs so far! Well, "enjoying" might be too strong -- but it's nice to be able to get a tiny bit of exercise by running up & down stairs even on days when 99% of the time I am glued to my computer.
Quote:
Originally Posted by thecoalman
As far as the basement goes make sure there isn't any water issues, if you haven't had a really good hard rain for a few days I'd be careful about putting a lot of stuff down there unless it's obvioau there is no issues like it's completely finished.
No water issues at all, luckily! In the last couple of weeks we had drenching rains almost every day -- as in, several inches of rain in short periods of time. There's not even a hint of water in the basement (except in the sink that's down there! ). If I do end up storing some furniture down there, though, I may bring in a couple of pallets to keep stuff off the concrete floor. (I'll probably put any unused furniture in the storage shed, though.)
Quote:
Originally Posted by NOLA2SGF
Do you have room in or near your kitchen for a non-built-in pantry cabinet in a style to your liking? I have one of these in my breakfast nook and it helps with overflow: ...
I like that bookcase! I actually have several cabinets/cupboards in the dining room, which is right off the kitchen. I am using their shelves for overflow appliances that I use maybe a couple of times a month (e.g., breadmaker, slow cooker).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pitt Chick
No shed. It is MY opinion (not passing judgment on those who do otherwise) that IF I have so much stuff that I feel I need a shed, I need to purge the stuff instead.
Normally I would agree with you (although I am admittedly a pack rat), but I will use mine for garden stuff -- my new back yard is huge (over an acre) whereas my old one was very small (30'x100'). I will be buying a riding mower and it will go in the shed instead of the garage.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pitt Chick
Liniens, towels, bathroom items...
That's a great idea for some of the cubbies, as the back bathroom doesn't have a linen closet anywhere near it but this closet is right next to it. Duh, I should have thought of this!
Quote:
Originally Posted by fallingwater
I can be an organized freak when it comes to my home. One of the things I love about my house is it has tons of storage but most importantly, the storage makes sense.
That was what my old kitchen was like!! I spent SOOOOOOOOOO much time planning it before I took the plunge to remodel. When I remodel my current kitchen in a few years, I am hoping to be able to replicate the old one almost exactly -- that's how efficient it was!! (I love the new place, but I miss my old kitchen so much!!!)
Fallingwater, I love that spice rack you made! I have 4 of those revolving ones stacked 2x2 -- they were on upper open shelves at the old kitchen but I haven't yet found a place for them at the new place.
Quote:
Originally Posted by fallingwater
Basement storage is basically seasonal items. Christmas decor and things we don't use often but things I don't want to purge.
Yes, I will likely put my seasonal items down there as well, although there is a loft in the garage that would work for once-a-year items too. My basement is basically 3 "rooms" -- one on either side of the stairs going down, then a door to the back "room" that has the furnace, electric box, etc. I am going to use one of the front "rooms" as my exercise room once I figure out how to get the treadmill down there (I may have to take it apart, ugh) -- it will also have other exercise equipment & a small TV for exercise tapes etc. The other front "room" will have the shelving units plus a table for working on little stuff. The back room has a workbench but not much space around it, and about 15-20' of shelving. I haven't figured out what I'll use those shelves for -- they're not adjustable and they are spaced far apart, so I may put extra lamps down there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by fallingwater
I take spring cleaning pretty seriously. I purge things once or twice a year. My tax guy laughs at me because every tax season I always have tons of slips from goodwill. I rarely have garage sales due to the hassle.
I am hoping to have lots of those slips too!! I had zero time to go through stuff before my move so I KNOW I moved a lot of stuff that I don't want or need any more. That's why I had a lot of stuff put straight into the garage by the movers -- I'll be able to go through it more easily out there.
Anyway, thanks for all the replies -- I will rep you all as I continue to try to figure out how to organize!!
Good advice, although I am actually enjoying the stairs so far! Well, "enjoying" might be too strong -- but it's nice to be able to get a tiny bit of exercise by running up & down stairs even on days when 99% of the time I am glued to my computer.
I have a thing about steps. My mother likes to decorate for the seasons so every year since I was kid she needed someone to go up into the attic every few months to take that seasons decorations back to storage and get the next seasons. Two flights of stairs, up and down with the boxes. I dreaded Christmas... LOL. Thankfully she's downsized and has moved to a one floor home with plenty of space in the garage and closets.
Quote:
No water issues at all, luckily! In the last couple of weeks we had drenching rains almost every day -- as in, several inches of rain in short periods of time. There's not even a hint of water in the basement (except in the sink that's down there! ).
You have water pooling in the sink? or are you just trying to be funny?
lol, was trying to be funny, guess it didn't work for ya! Good thing I amuse myself!
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). If I do end up storing some furniture down there, though, I may bring in a couple of pallets to keep stuff off the concrete floor. (I'll probably put any unused furniture in the storage shed, though.)
I spent SOOOOOOOOOO much time planning it before I took the plunge to remodel. When I remodel my current kitchen in a few years, I am hoping to be able to replicate the old one almost exactly -- that's how efficient it was!! (I love the new place, but I miss my old kitchen so much!!!)
